All posts by Francesca Rheannon

About Francesca Rheannon

Francesca Rheannon is an award-winning independent radio producer. In addition to hosting Writer's Voice, she's a freelance reporter for National Public Radio and its affiliates. Recipient of the prestigious Nancy Dickerson Whitehead Award for reporting on substance abuse issues for her news series, VOICES OF HIV, produced for 88.5 WFCR public radio in western Massachusetts. She is also finishing a book on Provence (PROVINCE OF THE HEART) and working on a memoir of her father, THE ARGONAUTS.

Podcast

Raj Patel and Rupa Marya, INFLAMED & Jimmie Allen, MY VOICE IS A TRUMPET

We talk with physician and activist Rupa Marya and her co-author writer and food activist Raj Patel about their book, Inflamed: Deep Medicine and the Anatomy of Injustice.

Then, country music singer Jimmie Allen tells us about his book for children, My Voice Is A Trumpet. And we have a book recommendation about a new environmental book for kids.

Writers Voice— in depth conversation with writers of all genres, on the air since 2004. Like us on Facebook at Writers Voice Radio, on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast or find us on twitter @WritersVoice.

Love Writer’s Voice? Please rate us on your podcast app. It really helps to get the word out about our show.

Continue reading

Podcast

Saul Griffith, ELECTRIFY: An Optimist’s Playbook For Our Clean Energy Future

#ElectrifyEverything! We spend the hour talking with Saul Griffith about his new book, Electrify: An Optimist’s Playbook For Our Clean Energy Future.

It’s about how we can solve the climate crisis, live well and save money by electrifying everything—and powering that electricity with clean energy.

In maybe the 1980s or the 1990s when climate change just came to the attention of the general population, you could still imagine that we could get to the finish line with the transition via natural gas or biomass and biofuels. But we’ve left the carbon game so late, we need to get to fully decarbonized infrastructure in our next move…It’s now time that the fossil fuel machine in your life has to be replaced at its end of life with something that’s electric…to meet our climate targets of as close to one and a half degrees as we can get…We just need to make sure that every fossil fuel machine is the last version of itself.     — Saul Griffith

Writers Voice— in depth conversation with writers of all genres, on the air since 2004.

Like us on Facebook at Writers Voice Radio, on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast or find us on twitter @WritersVoice.
Love Writer’s Voice? Please rate us on your podcast app. It really helps to get the word out about our show.

Continue reading

Podcast

William deBuys, TRAIL TO KANJIROBA & James Rebanks, PASTORAL SONG

This week, two beautifully written memoirs that stir hope as we all confront the losses of our ecosystems in crisis.

First, we talk with William deBuys about The Trail To Kanjiroba: Rediscovering Earth in an Age of Loss. It’s about a medical expedition he went on to Upper Dolpo, a remote, ethnically Tibetan region of northwestern Nepal, and the pilgrimage it became.

Then, a moving memoir about ancient farming—and bringing it back. We talk with James Rebanks about his award-winning book, Pastoral Song: A Farmer’s Journey.

Writers Voice— in depth conversation with writers of all genres, on the air since 2004.

Like us on Facebook at Writers Voice Radio, on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast or find us on twitter @WritersVoice.
Love Writer’s Voice? Please rate us on your podcast app. It really helps to get the word out about our show.

Continue reading

Podcast

Ray McGinnis UNANSWERED QUESTIONS: What the September Eleventh Families Asked and the 9/11 Commission Ignored

This is a special edition of Writer’s Voice produced on the 20th anniversary of 9/11.

Many questions about the terror attacks remain unanswered for the families of the 9/11 victims. They remain unanswered for many other Americans, as well.

We talk with Ray McGinnis about his book, UNANSWERED QUESTIONS: What the September Eleventh Families Asked and the 9/11 Commission Ignored

Continue reading

Podcast

Writer’s Voice: Migdalia Cruz, MACBETH & Michael Blanding NORTH BY SHAKESPEARE

Shakespeare on the brain! We talk with Nuyorican playwright Migdalia Cruz about her adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth for modern audiences.

Then, Michael Blanding tells the fascinating story of an amateur scholar who has built a compelling and controversial case about the source of Shakespeare’s work. The book is North By Shakespeare: A Rogue Scholar’s Quest For The Truth Behind The Bard’s Work.

Writers Voice— in depth conversation with writers of all genres, on the air since 2004.

Like us on Facebook at Writers Voice Radio, on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast or find us on twitter @WritersVoice.

Love Writer’s Voice? Please rate us on your podcast app. It really helps to get the word out about our show.

Continue reading

Podcast

Julia Sweig, LADY BIRD JOHNSON & Michael Klare on the Pentagon, China and Climate

We talk with Julia Sweig about her acclaimed book, Lady Bird Johnson: In Plain Sight.

Then, after exiting Afghanistan, President Biden is turning his attention to China, implying that China is a serious security threat that the US may have to meet with force. But security analyst Michael Klare disagrees. We talk with him about his recent post in the Nation magazine, The Real Existential Threat Is Our Overheating Planet.

Writers Voice— in depth conversation with writers of all genres, on the air since 2004.

Like us on Facebook at Writers Voice Radio, on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast or find us on Twitter @WritersVoice.

Love Writer’s Voice? Please rate us on your podcast app. It really helps to get the word out about our show.

Continue reading

Podcast

HonorÁ©e Fanonne Jeffers THE LOVE SONGS OF W.E.B. DuBOIS & The And I Thought Ladies

We talk with HonorÁ©e Fanonne Jeffers, award-winning poet and now novelist, about The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois, just out from Harper Collins.

Then, two young women build a literary empire around poetry and life lessons. We talk with Jade Dee and Wilnona Marie, the And I Thought Ladies.

Writers Voice— in depth conversation with writers of all genres, on the air since 2004.
Like us on Facebook at Writers Voice Radio, on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast or find us on twitter @WritersVoice.

Love Writer’s Voice? Please rate us on your podcast app. It really helps to get the word out about our show.

Continue reading

Podcast

Jennie Romer, CAN I RECYCLE THIS? & Catherine Raven, FOX AND I

We talk with recycling maven Jennie Romer about making the right recycling choices. Her book is Can I Recycle This? A Guide To Better Recycling And How To Reduce Single Use Plastics.

Then, wildlife biologist Catherine Raven tells us about her bestselling memoir, Fox and I: An Uncommon Friendship.

Like us on Facebook at Writers Voice Radio, on Instagram @WritersVoicePodcast or find us on twitter @WritersVoice. Love Writer’s Voice? Please rate us on your podcast app. It really helps to get the word out about our show.
Continue reading

Podcast

Elizabeth Hinton, AMERICA ON FIRE

We talk with Elizabeth Hinton about her book, America on Fire: The Untold History Of Police Violence And Black Rebellion Since The 1960’s.

Like us on Facebook at Writers Voice Radio or find us on twitter @WritersVoice. Love Writer’s Voice? Please rate us on your podcast app. It really helps to get the word out about our show. Continue reading

Podcast

Ross Barkan, THE PRINCE & Chuck Collins, THE WEALTH HOARDERS

We talk with Ross Barkan about his book, The Prince: Andrew Cuomo, The Coronavirus & The Fall of New York. We also get an update from him after the release of New York Attorney General Leticia James’ bombshell report about Cuomo’s sexual harassment of young female staffers and the toxic workplace environment that enabled it.

Then, how does it actually work that the superrich all too often pay little to no taxes? We talk with Chuck Collins about his book, The Wealth Hoarders: How Billionaires Pay Millions To Hide Trillions.

Writer’s Voice — in depth progressive conversation with writers of all genres. On the air since 2004. Rate us or leave us a review on your podcast app!

Like us on Facebook at Writers Voice with Francesca Rheannon or find us on twitter @WritersVoice.

Continue reading

Podcast

Megha Majumdhar, A BURNING & Gigi Georges, DOWNEAST

We talk with Megha Majumdhar about her breakout debut novel, A Burning. It follows three characters in today’s India: one, a young Muslim woman falsely accused of terrorism, and two others who must choose between justice and self-interest.

Then, rural America isn’t just poverty, opioid addiction and despair; it’s also community, resilience, and some remarkable young women.
We talk with Gigi Georges about Downeast: Five Maine Girls and the Unseen Story of Rural America.

Writer’s Voice — in depth conversation with writers of all genres, on the air since 2004. Rate us on your podcast app!

Like us on Facebook at Writers Voice Radio, on Instagram or on Twitter @WritersVoice.

Continue reading

Podcast

Nina Burleigh, VIRUS & Celia Jeffries, BLUE DESERT

We talk with journalist Nina Burleigh about Trump’s failure on Covid and what that says about our public health system—and capitalism. Her book is Virus: Vaccinations, the CDC, and The Hijacking Of America’s Response To The Pandemic.

Then, we shift gears to consider a remarkable debut novel by Celia Jeffries, Blue Desert. It’s about freedom and limits, secrets and what happens when a young British woman falls in love with the chieftain of a Tuareg tribe in Morocco in the early years of the 20th century.

Writer’s Voice — in depth conversation with writers of all genres, on the air since 2004. Rate us on your podcast app!

Like us on Facebook at Writers Voice Radio, on Instagram or on Twitter @WritersVoice.
Continue reading

Podcast

Joseph Illidge on Diversity in Super Hero Comics

Today we talk with DC Comics & Warner Brothers comic book editor Joseph Illidge about his career in comic books, bringing diverse voices to the super hero genre.

We also hear a sneak preview of our interview with recycling maven Jennie Romer about her book Can I Recycle This?

Writer’s Voice — in depth conversation with writers of all genres, on the air since 2004. Rate us on iTunes or whatever podcast app you use!

Like us on Facebook at Writers Voice Radio, on Instagram or on Twitter @WritersVoice.

Continue reading

Podcast

Ann Armbrecht, THE BUSINESS OF BOTANICALS

We spend the hour talking with Ann Armbrecht, first about her new book, The Business of Botanicals: Exploring the Healing Promise of Plant Medicines in a Global Industry. It’s the first book to explore the interconnected web of the global herb industry and its many stakeholders.

Then, we revisit part of our 2009 conversation with her about her memoir, Thin Places.

Writer’s Voice — in depth conversation with writers of all genres, on the air since 2004. Rate us on iTunes or whatever podcast app you use!

Like us on Facebook at Writers Voice Radio, on Instagram or on Twitter @WritersVoice.

Continue reading

Web Extras

WEB EXTRA: Ann Armbrecht, THIN PLACES (full interview)

In 2009, Writer’s Voice spoke with Ann Armbrecht about her memoir, THIN PLACES: A Pilgramage Home. Francesca Rheannon was joined on the interview by writer Christian MacEwen.

The original edited aired episode has been lost, so here is the unedited version of the conversation, pulled from our archives. The first few minutes have been lost, but we join her as Armbrecht is talking about how the people in the village in Nepal first received her.

Continue reading